This watchdog blog, by journalist Norman Oder, offers analysis, commentary, and reportage about the $4.9 billion project to build the Barclays Center arena and 16 high-rise buildings at a crucial site in Brooklyn. Dubbed Atlantic Yards by developer Forest City Ratner in 2003, it was rebranded Pacific Park in 2014 after the Chinese government-owned Greenland Group bought a 70% stake in 15 towers. New York State still calls it Atlantic Yards. Contact: AtlanticYardsReport[at]hotmail.com

Friday, January 30, 2015

With one week's notice before event prep and two weeks before NBA All-Star Weekend, the Barclays Center today disclosed (bottom) expected traffic impacts around the event, which I think points to significant gridlock along the arena's northern flank.

Notably, though Atlantic Avenue is severely constricted by a crane for the arena's green roof, and the parking/dropoff lane outside the arena is severely constricted, the Barclays Center admits some 100 coach buses and 200 for-hire vehicles will service "arena guests and event staff both Friday and Saturday nights."

"These vehicles will arrive on the arena block for guest drop-off, stage at an off-site parking lot and return to the arenas part of a highly-controlled/scheduled pick-up program at the end of the event," the arena claimed.

Note that the drop-off poses major challenges, and previous promises of controlled and scheduled procedures, notably regarding the loading dock on Dean Street, have proven empty. That Atlantic Avenue crane was supposed to have been installed last August and gone by October, but the schedule clearly slipped.

No less of a booster than Empire State Development CEO Kenneth Adams opined that traffic on a Saturday afternoon outside the arena was a "mess."

Starting at 6 pm Friday and Saturday nights, and 12 pm Sunday afternoon, the arena is "prepared to welcome approximately 15,000 guests, many of whom carry a high profile and are directly involved in the production and ancillary event throughout New York City," according to the message below.

Other restrictions

As noted in the message, there will be no constraints on residential/business access to their properties, no major work overnight, and limited, though unspecified, parking restrictions.

From Feb. 7-16 vehicular traffic on Sixth Avenue between Pacific and Dean Street will be restricted to northbound vehicles.

"In addition to trailers and production vehicles, several generators are required to ensure live television broadcast integrity," the message states. The generators are noise-attenuated, and will be "located within the 6th Avenue broadcast compound from Saturday 2/7 until Monday 2/16."

That's presumably the lot on the east side of Sixth Avenue, but I've never heard it called the "compound."